


Third time's the charm

by RandomlyPassedBy



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Serenading, just... cater singing to malleus, unclear plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28591995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomlyPassedBy/pseuds/RandomlyPassedBy
Summary: Cater lost a bet to Lilia. The consequences of losing said bet lit a fire in his heart. Luckily he's a good singer.
Relationships: Cater Diamond/Malleus Draconia
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	Third time's the charm

Cater paces a corner of the hall of mirror. His eyes dart around the at door and the clock. 

'He should be here anytime now.'

The Heartslabyul third year picks up his guitar and straps it on. He sighs in resignation, wanting to get this ordeal done with. He sees some students glancing at him, but most of them paid him no attention and simply moved to their respective dorm mirrors. He hopes there won't be too many students when that person finally appears. 

Who exactly is that person and what is Cater doing with a guitar? Well, it started with a simple bet between Cater and Lilia. The two of them have been observing their fellow club member, Kalim Al-Asim, and taking note of his obliviousness of his feelings on a certain Scarabia vice-leader. Cater bet Jamil would confess first, but Lilia believes in Kalim. Simply put, Cater lost that bet. And so, as they agreed, Cater has to do something that Lilia tells him to do.

"Hmmm. I've thought of something. Bring your guitar after club today, and sing a song to Malleus at the hall of mirror."

"Huh?? That- what even is the motive of this?" Cater was expecting Lilia to order him to buy snacks maybe, or give him the vocalist role for their next gig, but this?

"Isn't it clear? Serenade! Go serenade Malleus. Do young people not do that anymore?" he tilts his head to the side.

Cater sighs. "Well... I guess some people still do it. But why Malleus?"

"Why not? Would you rather do it to someone else?"

Cater thinks about it. He didn't particularly want to serenade anyone. But if he had to do it for losing the bet, then he guess Malleus isn't too bad of a choice. 

Speak of the devil and he shall come. Cater grips the neck of his guitar a bit more firmly, seeing the familiar tall imposing figure walk through the door.

"Malleus-kun!"

Hearing his name, Malleus turns towards Cater's direction. Cater takes a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing...!'

He starts strumming the first notes to the song.

_Your eyes, your eyes_   
_Make the stars look like they're not shining_   
_Your hair, your hair_   
_Falls perfectly without you trying_   
_You're so beautiful_   
_And I tell you that today_

Cater sees the Diasomnia prefect standing still a few feet away from him, staring at him with his usual impassive face. He was not deterred by the cold face, keeping his voice steady as he keeps singing. The staring did make him slightly nervous so he avoided the green eyes. A small crowd of students start to gather, seeing the event that was unfolding. Cater sees a person taking out his phone, most probably recording the whole thing. He makes a note to check magicame later.

_When I see your face_   
_There's not a thing that I would change_   
_Cause you're amazing_   
_Just the way you are_

With a final strum, he finishes the song. He smiles at Malleus, anticipating his response. Cater didn't know what exactly he was expecting, but the fae's usual standoff-ish face was definitely not it. 

"You have a nice voice Diamond."

It was a compliment, right? Cater's not sure because while his words were nice, his voice was clipped, eyes not looking at him. 

"...thank you?" he replied, voice raised in question.

The black-haired student gives him a curt nod before moving towards the Diasomnia mirror and disappearing into it. Cater was still processing what just transpired and watched the man go. 

"Yo, that was so brave of you to do that."

He was brought out of his thoughts when a person approached and talked to him.

"Huh?"

"You know, for you to be serenading Malleus Draconia? I thought he was going to throttle you while you were singing."

Cater laughs at the person's comment. He forgot that Malleus has a reputation among the students. 

"Hey, how did it look like? Did it look like my singing was so bad that he left immediately?"

The student looks at Cater weirdly. "It looked like a crazy person serenading Malleus Draconia. Oh your singing was good by the way."

"But what about his reaction though? Did it look like he was at least a teeny bit swooned by me?"

"Maybe you are a little bit crazy. No, he just looks scary as usual. Really, you should be glad he didn't curse you."

Cater feels a strange emotion well up inside. He keeps thinking about the fae's reaction and the student's words. 

Now lying on his bed, he wonders why he feels unsatisfied with how Malleus responded. Did he want Malleus to show more excitement? Appreciation? And why did it feel like he was rejected? He wasn't even confessing, and it's not like he wanted to impress Malleus. Right? He was merely doing it for Lilia. Speaking of which, is the video on the internet? Lilia should know he did his part if so.

There is a knock on his door before it opens and Trey's face pop in. 

"Hey. Here's the notes I borrowed, thanks." He puts down the notebook on the table.

Cater merely waves from the bed. Trey approaches him and sits down on the bed.

"I saw a video of you singing to Malleus earlier. I didn't know you liked him that much." 

That made Cater roll over to properly look at Trey, seeing a knowing smirk on his face. 

"It's not what you think! I lost a bet to Lilia and he told me to do it." Cater explains. "Wait, where did you see the video??"

Cater hurriedly looks for his phone and opens Magicame. He sees his notifications flooded.

Trey laughs. "It's so rare of you to not open Magicame. Heart got hurt that bad by his reaction?"

The ginger ignores him and plays a video he was tagged in. He sounds pretty good. And he looks cute too. 

'Ah, Malleus does look a bit unimpressed.' 

Malleus says something that wasn't clearly caught in the video, Cater's face turn confused and Malleus promptly left. The video ends. He scrolls down to the comments.

_was this a prank?_

_i think he was tricked into it_

_he was so cute! too bad he was singing for malleus draconia_

_is the orange dude still okay? did malleus curse him or something?_

_yooo man did not know how to react to that_

Again, Cater feels a twinge inside. He feels his eyebrows scrunch up. That's when he realized what it was. 

He was upset. He wasn't quite sure the specific reason he's upset, but he knows he can't let it be.

"Trey, I'm going to sing to him again."

"Ha?" Trey gives him a weird look. "You are going to sing to him again after that... disastrous attempt?"

Cater throws a pillow at his friend. "It wasn't disastrous! He was merely caught off-guard. Malleus is a nice person and I'm not going to let people think otherwise."

Trey sighs, adjusting his skewed glasses from the pillow throw. "And how is singing to him again going to change anything?"

"He'll know better this time." Cater smiles. "I'm sure he was slightly woo-ed by my attractive voice, even if he didn't show it. I'll do better and he's sure to be impressed!"

"How are you sure he would impressed by being serenaded?"

"Anyone would be impressed Trey. You would know!" he exclaims. "It totally worked out between you and Jade when Lilia, Kalim and I sang Love Bug to the two of you in the cafeteria."

The memory makes Trey let out a burst of laughter. The two of them were completely flustered with the attention, but it did give him a push to actually confess to Jade, so it was a memorable event.

"Fine. What song are you going to sing?"

* * *

So that is how Cater finds himself in this situation again, waiting for Malleus to come out from his classroom. He was lucky to have an empty period to situate himself at the courtyard and look up at the hallways where Malleus would exit after his class. How did he know the fae's schedule? Well, he had his ways.

The bell rings and Cater prepares himself, his guitar ready. 

He could see a number of students come out from all the different classrooms, but his eyes are fixed on only one. Finally, he sees the familiar set of horns. Taking a deep breath, he shouts to the unsuspecting student at the hallway on the second floor.

"Malleus Draconia!"

The mentioned student, and about 10 others, look over the railings and down to Cater. 

"Please accept this song dedicated to you~" Cater grins and starts strumming.

_Everything you do it sends me_   
_Higher than the moon_   
_With every twinkle in your eye_   
_You strike a match that lights my heart on fire_

Cater could see Lilia leaning over the railings beside Malleus. The small third year is grinning and giving him a thumbs up. Cater looks over to Malleus.

'He's smiling!'

_When you're near I hide my blushing face_   
_And trip on my shoelaces_   
_Grace just isn't my forte_   
_But it brings me to my knees when you say_

Malleus is properly smiling down at him and is even folding his arms on the railing, leisurely leaning and listening to Cater singing. Cater feels his face heat up.

_Hello, how are you?_   
_My darling, today_   
_I fall into a pile on the floor_   
_Puppy love is hard to ignore_   
_When every little thing you do I do adore_

Cater wonders what makes this time different from the last time. Probably because as he rationalized last night, Malleus knows better this time. And maybe it's the song choice too. Trey laughed when he first heard what Cater planned to sing but then he said "if it's you then you can pull it off" so Cater guess it's working well. 

_We're as different as can be_   
_I've noticed you're remarkably-_

**_rrriiiiiiiiiing_ **

Unfortunately, Cater's song was cut short with the ring of the bell. Cater sighs, regretting the fact that he chose a bad time to do it. Strangely enough, the students nearby started clapping for him. There was even a few cheers. The Heartslabyul student smiles sheepishly over the attention. 

"Cater, that was so cute!"

Cater's attention is brought back to Lilia who complimented him over the railings. His gaze turns over to Malleus, seeing the fae opening his mouth to say something when-

"Puppies! Did you not hear the bell? Get to class!"

Everyone scrambled to their classes after hearing the strict Alchemy teacher's voice. Malleus gives one last smile to Cater and waves him goodbye. Cater pouts and waves back.

"Diamond, if you are not in class in ten seconds you'll regret it."

In record time, Cater sprints to the class. As he was passing Crewel, the teacher holds him by the shoulder. 

"Meet me after class."

Cater shudders, thinking of the consequences of getting caught by Crewel. "Yes sir."

The class went by. Luckily Cater was able to avoid any of Crewel's scolding by completing his experiment successfully. After the lesson was over, Cater waits at the teacher's table, dreading the punishment Crewel was sure to give him. 

The teacher sits down and looks at Cater.

"So, let's get directly to it. I don't know if no one's told you but your serenading is not working."

"...eh?"

"Your serenading. I'll admit, it's a brave attempt and you do have a good voice. But you're attempting to woo Draconia here, you have to step up your game."

Cater takes a few moments to process the situation. His teacher was... discussing his serenading. And... about to give him advice??

"...o-okay?" Cater's not sure what to say in this situation.

Crewel links his fingers together on the table. "A good, memorable serenade is when it's specially made for that person specifically. A song and gesture that might not mean much to everyone else, but is targeted to that person."

Now knowing the teacher was not angry, and is actually trying to help him, Cater relaxes. He listens to what Crewel is saying attentively.

"Sensei, sounds like you speak from experience," Cater tries, attempting to gauge if the teacher is willing to humor him. 

Crewel smirks. "You're not wrong."

"You sing?"

"Nope. I was on the receiving side."

Cater whistles. "Of course. I should've known."

"So you should take my advice as a person on the other side. Do something more special. Draconia's not an easily swayed man."

Cater rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah. My fault for liking a guy out of my league."

"Don't be absurd. You are a good match for Draconia. Ah, I probably shouldn't have said that."

Cater laughs. It was a bit weird to know your teacher ships you, but it was a well-needed boost. 

"So sensei, what would you suggest I do?"

* * *

It is a peaceful night at the Diasomnia dorm. Some students are chatting amongst themselves in the lounge, some are studying or relaxing in their rooms and some are even getting ready to sleep. 

The dorm is not aware of an outsider who is currently walking around the dorm building. 

Cater scans through the black-bricked building and stops under one particular window. How did he know the room occupant of this specific window? Well, he has his ways (and kind cooperative classmates). He hesitates for a second, thinking of how ridiculous it is for him to be attempting this, before throwing caution to the wind and also a rock at the person's window.

He waits for a few seconds, before throwing another one. 

Just as he was about to throw a third one, the window opens. The familiar set of horns and confused face greets him.

"Diamond? What are you doing here?"

'Third times the charm. I'm charming you this time, Malleus!'

Cater strums the guitar. He sees Malleus smile, understanding the situation.

_I was never the one to write up a song for just anyone_   
_I was always the one to find myself lost in long conversations_   
_'Cause I've always been told that things won't unfold if you keep on waiting_   
_But then you came along and proved me all wrong, I was so mistaken_

Other windows around the Malleus' room start opening and the other Diasomnia students look down as well. Cater knew this was bound to happen so he keeps his focus on Malleus. Malleus, who has his face propped on his hand, tender eyes looking at him. Cater's knees feel weak. 

_'Cause you glue all the pieces back together_   
_Yeah you, you take all my wrongs and make 'em better_   
_Yeah you, you're making me wanna try forever_   
_I feel so free_   
_Oh my sweet baby_

He strums the last chord and sighs in relief. Similar to the last time, the other Diasomnia students clapped and cheered. Cater looks up to Malleus, grinning triumphantly. 

"Malleus-kun~ did you like it?" 

Cater, and the numerous Diasomnia students, observe the fae and anticipate his reaction.

Malleus chuckles, and waves his hand towards Cater. The ginger panics when his feet floats above the ground. He hugs his guitar, having nothing else to hold on to while he's being levitated towards Malleus. 

"Good for you Cater!"

"Go get yo man orange boy~"

"Please be nice to him Ryocho."

Cater hides his face in his hands hearing the catcalls. He hopes none of his classmates are watching, they're going to tease him non-stop if they know about this. Malleus simply levitates Cater into his room and closes his window after giving a knowing look to the others. He turns to see Cater still curled in a ball floating in his room.

"You can put your feet down Diamond."

Hearing that, Cater looks up from his hands and lets his feet down, landing softly on the fae's carpet. He looks around the spacious room, taking in the dark furniture and deco. There is even a large dragon statue on one side of the room. And then he looks at the owner of the room.

Malleus is standing there, in an oversized graphic t-shirt, and checkered pajama pants. Cater shouldn't be surprised, seeing as he is also in a hoodie and sweatpants himself, but the sight of the usually intimidating fae in nightwear makes him chuckle nonetheless. 

"Hey." He starts.

"Hi." Malleus answers. 

A few beats of silence pass. Cater's not sure what to say now that the fae brought him in his room. He only wanted Malleus to say he likes his singing, or something like that.

Malleus breaks the silence first. "Thank you for the serenades Diamond. I've said it before but you have a really beautiful voice." 

This made the Heartslabyul student rub a hand behind his neck, feeling shy. Unlike the first time Malleus complimented his voice, this time he said it confidently, looking straight at Cater. 

"Thanks. I'm just... glad you didn't find my attempts annoying." 

The fae laughs softly. "I wouldn't say annoying. I admire the persistence and courage."

Malleus sits down at the couch in front of his bed, patting the seat beside him. Slightly hesitant, Cater puts away his guitar at the side and sits. 

"Courage... you could say that." Cater sighs, remembering the hurdles he's had to overcome up until now. The buzz online, Trey teasing him, just the overall attention from everyone as he sang, and not to mention Crewel-sensei. Which reminds him...

"You know, a nice person suggested I sing a song in fae language. I did try to learn a song but the words were too hard, so I just went with a song I'm confident with," he laughs.

The Diasomnia student's eyes widened at the statement. "You'd learn a fae song for me?"

"Of course! But the words were really hard... and the song was really melodic so I couldn't learn it well. Sorry to get your hopes up," he twirls a strand of his hair. 

"What was the song? Tell me some of the words you can remember," Malleus insists. 

Happy that Malleus was interested, Cater tries to recall the words of the song.

"The song is a bit wistful, and there was something like i-ideta di kasa-"

" _Kasa imastia_. I'm not surprised. It's a well-known song." 

Cater laughs. "Well, I did just search up 'fae song' and that was the first that came up."

Malleus closes his eyes. Before Cater could ask what he was doing, Malleus opens his mouth.

_ideta di kasa imastia_   
_imaria mia delta_   
_asora di kasadi mastia_   
_iviria i asi iya_

The room is filled with Malleus' melodious voice. The song Cater heard was in a higher key, so the fae's low tone made the song more haunting. There was no orchestral music to back his singing, but Cater could hear it in his head. To say Cater was enchanted would be an understatement. He says the only thing that could sum up the experience. 

"Wow."

The Diasomnia dorm leader smiles. "Consider this a small thank you gift. Even if the words are not exactly what I would want to convey."

Curious, Cater asks "What do the lyrics mean?"

"You can find that out for yourself. By the way Diamond, are you sure you should be here at this hour? I believe Rosehearts would not be happy if I am the reason for your late return."

Cater looks at the time and curses. He managed to get out of the dorm with Trey's help, but he promised to come back before twelve. It was almost midnight. He quickly got up and takes his guitar. 

"You're right. I have to run back now, but we'll talk again tomorrow Malleus-kun!" 

He opens the door and... realizes he doesn't know his way through the dorm. He turns back to Malleus.

"Umm.."

Malleus laughs at the ginger's panicked face. "I'll transport you to the mirror hall," he extends a hand towards Cater.

Cater takes the hand and finds himself engulfed with green sparks. He feels a strong breeze around him before the sparks disperse. And just like that, he's at the mirror hall with Malleus.

"You saved me! Thanks Malleus-kun I owe you one. Goodnight~!" Not wanting to delay any longer, Cater runs off into the Heartslabyul mirror while waving goodbye. 

Malleus watches as Cater disappears into the mirror, before transporting himself back to Diasomnia. 

Cater manages to return to his dorm safely without Riddle knowing he was out. In the comfort of his room, he lays down on his bed and scrolls through Magicame. He wasn't expecting tonight's serenade attempt to be recorded but he was proven wrong. The Diasomnia students were quick to record him, and even recorded to the point where Malleus let him in his room through the window. He scrolls through the comments.

_woooo looks like he managed to woo him_

_they kinda look cute together ngl_

_I've never seen Malleus look so soft like that_

_what did they do in the room hmmmm_   
_- > I was next door trust me when I say there was more singing involved, and it was not from the Cater ;-)_

Cater laughs reading the comments. Well, he's glad a lot of them were entertained. Riding the situation, he takes a picture of his fingers making a V sign and uploads it.

_Tonight was a success!_   
_#cay-kunadventures #serenadedone #thxforthesupport #goodnightsweetdreams_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading until the end! Did you like it? I hope you did.
> 
> This was in my drafts for almost a month and AO3 will automatically delete it tomorrow so I... did my best to finish it because I already wrote like half of it. I just started it on a whim and then lost my direction and honestly had no idea where it was going but, I already wrote half and I know I don't have the energy to make it better so in the end I just did what I can to finish it. I'm not entirely happy with all of it but there are definitely parts that I loved so hopefully it was bearable enough for you guys.
> 
> Oh and the song choices. Honestly my song choices sucks so you can imagine your own songs if you want. But if anyone is interested to know, the first song is Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are, then it's Mindy Gledhill - I Do Adore and last one is Bothnia feat. Cody Francis - Sweet Baby. 
> 
> Malleus' fae song is actually A Song of Storm and Fire from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles. It's apparently a made-up language by the composer and there's a loose translation of it but it's just something like, "I see the smiling face in the mist, and wish for an impossible wish." It's a really beautiful song, you should check it out. 
> 
> So that is all for my ranting. Hope you enjoyed it and thank you again for reading until the end <3


End file.
